The ActiveRain Stuff You Won't Find Anywhere Else on the Web

The Google Algorithm Penquin Attack

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:37:44 -0700

"But I thought "Penquins" were suppose to be cute, fuzzy, warm, and harmless animals?"

Google has changed some of their algorithms for SEO and SERP results. It's a new algorithm update being referred to as Penguin. When did all this happen? Was your site hit? Has your page(s) gone down in the search engine results? Has this Penguin been spotted on ActiveRain and some of your blog posts? If so, you'd want to know about it right?

How can you tell if you were a victim of Google’s Penguin and what can you or should you do if you were? This is an interesting topic and will definitely leave you with a better understanding of how Google is now ranking and indexing websites and pages and how the Penguin plays into it all.

Does keyword density really matter? Do meta-tags, titles, and back links really even make a difference anymore? What if you don’t use keywords, links, SEO techniques, or any other technical traditions of the SEO underworld, will you still show up in Google? How are you suppose to keep up with all this SEO technobabble stuff and changes?

If you’re like me, then you’ll want to know...

Google is getting much smarter, much better, and much more efficient at finding ways and implementing tools and programs that keep the SEO Gods trying and guessing. My advice is to forget all that “gaming & black hat SEO stuff” and just focus on providing your readers, clients, and subscribers with great value-added and useful content.

Google Penguin Explanation Video if you’re interested, and How to Protect Your Site.

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Tutorials | Training | Mobile | Widgets

"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

The ActiveRain Point System

ActiveRain Corp. — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:35:25 -0800

The ActiveRain Point System

ActiveRain awards members points based on participation and their individual involvement within the network and community. While there is a much more complicated and technical explanation of how the point system works, this post is to provide you with a general overview of how points are earned and distributed to all ActiveRain members.

ActiveRain points are earned based on a member's individual activities and efforts. Points are accumulated over the course of the calendar week which starts Monday morning at 12:00am Pacific Time, and ends Sunday night at 11:59pm Pacific Time.

The following are some ways you can earn points and move up the "Featured Member" ladder in your local area:

200 points for each blog post
(Max 10 per week) (50 word minimum required)
25 additional points when post is added to channels with a topic
400 points for Featured Post on ActiveRain.com
(Excludes posts featured in ActiveRain groups)
25 points for each comment
(Max 10 Per Day) (Comments on your own posts excluded)
25 points for each reBlogged post
(Max 10 per week - these do not include your own posts)
ActiveRain profile points
(Building your ActiveRain profile will build points)
Received comments on blog posts
(No blog post to exceed 475 pts.)
100 points awarded for logging in to ActiveRain each day
(This applies 7 days a week)
250 points when someone accepts your ActiveRain invitation
(Must sign up under Member's Invite Code)
10% of total points earned by new members invited by you
(Example: invited member earns 1000 pts. - you earn 100 pts.)
ActiveRain and member approved contests - points will vary
(These show up as "Bonus Points" in your Point Summary)
Staff awarded bonus points - these are issued by the ActiveRain staff
(Member Humanitarian, Paying It Forward, Helping Others, etc.)

Weekly Point Scenario: The potential of points available per week, per member would be as follows: 1750 for max comments, 2000 for max blog posts, 700 for logging in daily, 250 for adding to Channels/Topics, and 250 for max reBlogged posts. The weekly potential of points would be 4950 (this does not include Featured Posts, comments received, invitation and percentage points, contests, and staff-awarded bonus points.)

Point Disclaimer: The Points System created by the ActiveRain Network was developed and implemented to motivate, inspire, and reward members for their participation and involvement within the community. These points are subject to change at the discretion of the ActiveRain Mgmt. Team, with or without cause, warning, or notice.

Picnik.com Gets Reincarnated as Ribbet

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:08:50 -0700

Picnik.com closes today. The NEW Ribbet.com will be opening very soon and the only difference between the two is the name. Ribbet.com looks EXACTLY like Picnik and will offer the same exact style and type of features.

If you like easy access to your images, photos and graphics with the ability to create collages, add text overlays, adjust contrast and brightness, combine images, use custom effects and more, then Ribbet is the NEW online graphic/photo/image editor for you. Ribbet.com looks like the reincarnation of Picnik.com.

“When Google announced Picnik’s impending closure in early 2012 there was enormous public outcry. People had come to rely on the service, that brought “photo awesomeness” to everyone, and they weren’t happy to see it go, to say the least.

Along came Ribbet! Packed with all the original Picnik functionality and built on the same platform that made it great, Ribbet offers a familiar interface and the same ease-of-use that people have come to love. read more…

Since Ribbet has not gone live just yet, you can request an invite to join. Go for it!

The screen shot of Ribbet (below) demonstrates just how much the NEW Ribbet resembles the OLD and now closed Picnik. It’s amazing to see how much these two look and feel like the same site. Hmmm... Almost makes you wonder if there isn’t something fishy going on here… :)

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"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

ActiveRain Launches Outside Blogs - How Do You Get Yours?

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:31:12 -0700

Google offers Blogs, Yahoo offers Blogs, and now ActiveRain offers RE Blogs!! I am so excited that I get to announce this! ActiveRain is pulling all the stops and releasing the "BIG" storm today. It's been a long time coming, and now it's finally here! STOP HERE!

UPDATE 4/10/2009 - Please see this new post for details regarding the NEW OUTSIDE Blogs offerred on ActiveRain. How to Create and Maximize your AR Outside Blogs and 5 Tips For Your Outside Blogs.

ActiveRain "Outside Blogs" are launched today. You're going to love the ability to create one post, and then with the check of a box, send it to your Outside Blog. That's right, one post, syndicated in three locations. You can choose to have your post on ActiveRain, Localism, and now your own personal "Outside Blog" too.

Here's just a few highlights of the "" Outside Blogs:

* Host your Blog on your own domain name. (You must own name) ie: BestHomes.com
* Customize the look and feel of your Outside Blog.
* Set up in 10-15 minutes max.
* Build your posts in ActiveRain, no need to learn a new Blogging platform.
* Publish your posts to AR, Localism, Outside Blog, or all three, it's your choice.
* Benefit from the SEO power of ActiveRain.
* Brand your own Blog and yet stay connected with the AR community.
* Comments are syndicated between your ActiveRain Blog and your Outside Blog.

This is only the beginning, as the community jumps on these, each individual's exposure doubles. 2X the POWER! That's Exciting!! Imagine the possiblities with these Blogs...

Here's how to setup YOUR Outside Blog. The sample below is a screen shot of my Outside Blog. I'll demonstrate how I used ActiveRain to create it.

SETTING UP YOUR CUSTOM OUTSIDE BLOG:

1. To Start, click on the link "Outside Blogs" from "My Home" page.

2. On the next screen, give your Blog a "Title". It will already have the same name as your current ActiveRain Blog. You can change it.

3. Meta Keywords are the next option, don't panic What's a Meta Tag?

4. Next, you can customize or modify your Blog description. This text will appear underneath your Blog Banner.

5. Now give your Blog an ActiveRain Subdomain:
ie: ActiveBrad.ActiveRain.com

6. You can also use custom domain names. (advanced users only)
You must already own your own domain name. If not, you can see if the domain you like is available, click here.

Here's a screen shot of the options that are mentioned above:

7. Next, keep your current photo or add a new photo to your Blog. Your Outside Blog photo will NOT replace your existing AR photo. Here's your chance to update that picture from 7 years ago. lol~

8. Select one of the Templates or Themes from the ActiveRain Library: These can be customized. More templates will be available in the future. This is just the launch period, expect enhancements for sure.

9. Setup the colors for your fonts and for different areas of your Blog page. Here's a color chart.

10. Now, add custom created headers and images to your Blog. There are multiple posts on how to create and edit images, you'll find them in the Help/FAQ group. We have some very artistic and talented members who share valuable tools and resources there.

11. Under the Advanced options, you can display multiple Blog posts, up to 100 if you like.
(I suggest 20 posts max, or the page may load slowly, especially if you have video and large graphics)

Use the Syndication options to select which posts to pull, or add ALL from your primary ActiveRain Blog. Members Only posts will not appear on your Outside Blog. If you have concerns about Duplicate Content on your Blogs, read this post called "Duplicate Content and Outside Blogs."

12. The FINAL STEP, Click on Save Changes

YOU'RE DONE!
Go to the ActiveRain Subdomain URL you created
and there's your new outside Blog!

Here's A Sample Of Mine

*Note: When creating posts on ActiveRain, just check this box
to place them on your outside Blog.

If you do choose to use your own existing Domain name, please read the advanced information and instructions below. You'll need to know the following: You can also find this information located HERE.

Here are the STEP-BY-STEP instructions for setting up an Outside Blog using your own domain name.
Also be sure to check out some of the other members outside domains as ActiveRain Blogs Evolve.

That's It! We are finally launched!!. WOOHOO!! You will no longer have to search for a place to have an outside Blog. You won't have to start from scratch to create your own, or cut and paste, or duplicate efforts, or try and manage your time running two or more Blogs.

I really am excited about this. It's like watching the birth of a baby being born, and I feel somehow emotionally and personally attached to it. ActiveRain is moving onward and upward, and everyday, becoming more of a powerful source in this great industry. I'm honored to be the carrier pigeon of this exciting and community changing news. As always, if you get stuck, don't get MAD, call Brad.

For Outside Blog status updates and known issues being addressed: CLICK HERE!

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"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

Top 10 ActiveRain Tools for NEW MEMBERS and RainMakers

ActiveRain Corp. — Thu, 14 May 2009 02:14:40 -0700

I've been out doing office presentations these past few weeks, and sharing with Brokers and Agents what ActiveRain is all about. In my travels, I have found that as new members join ActiveRain, it can seem a bit overwhelming because there are so many members, tools, great posts, and let's face it, there's a ton of information here.

So Where do you go and what do you do once you hear about ActiveRain?

The first step is to just sign up, the second step is to setup and create your ActiveRain profile, and the third step is to write that first post. To help new members with these steps and to try and simplify the process, there is a "Getting Started" post that helps minimize the frustration some experience their first few visits here.

The most common question I get is "What tools does ActiveRain offer to help my Business?"

Having useful tools in your "Toolbox" is great, but if you don't know where they are, you're not using them, you don't know how, or you never open the toolbox, then none of them will present much value? Hopefully this wil help some of you that are new to the community.

Here's the "TOP 10 ActiveRain Tools" and in no particular order:

10. Advertising on Activerain can get you some great exposure. Nearly 150,000 members, and over 2,000,000 visitors each month. We have numerous options available through channels, Activerain pages, the Daily Newsletter and the Top Spot on the Feature Board.

9. Go Hyper-Local using Localism.com Creating content on ActiveRain for your Localism Blog can be a huge resource for your local communities and neighborhoods. The worlds most complete neighborpedia. Sponsoring a community is easy and inexpensive.

8. Building a Profile is more than just your picture, company name and phone number. Member profiles CAN generate Subscribers, Traffic, Associates and Business. Take the time to make your profile your masterpiece. Your Profile can be just as powerful as a website.

7. Outside Blogs have become one of ActiveRains leading tools for members. There's No need to learn a new Blogging platform. It's easy to set one up and there are plenty of tools and widgets to help make your custom outside Blogs successful.

6. Vision - Do you know what your prospects are thinking? ActiveRain presents a new vision for success. IDX and Leads are great to have, but you'll need the tools, a plan, and the follow-up / follow thru to make any lead generation tool become a success.

5. Hit Router - With over 100,000 City searches on ActiveRain recently, you could generate some great leads via your IDX. Set up your FREE Markets, create City Search Campaigns, you can watch a webinar how to do it all. There's over 1,000,000 posts on ActiveRain which means one million plus opportunities for visitors to search for homes in your area and find YOU.

4. The ActiveRain Referral Exchange. Be sure to setup some alerts in your area immediately. This training webinar will help. There's even a rating system in place that can be used at the close of referral transactions. A tool every referral exchange should have.

3. Networking, Connecting, and building Associations with other Real Estate Industry Professionals on ActiveRain will increase your knowledge and resources faster than any other website or Social Network out there. Your Associates are a great reference and endorsement. You can Build your National and International Associates all in one place.

2. It's good to find Blogging mentors who have been successful. There are thousands of great Bloggers and successful members here on ActiveRain, you can see the Top 100 most subscribed to get some great ideas and to see what works for them.

1. Becoming a Rainmaker member does have it's obvious privileges. Why? (see all the above) There are many more tools, services and benefits you'll discover on ActiveRain, but these 10 are the most valuable and powerful in my opinion. Remember that joining ActiveRain and using these tools is not a "Sprint To The Win" it's a "Marathon To The Victory!"

Sometimes finding support and answers to your questions can seem like a daunting task, but there are some easy ways and "tools" available to help you get anything you need on ActiveRain. You can Contact ActiveRain, use the SEARCH tool, check the HELP/FAQ Group, visit the ActiveRainGuide.com for "how-to" posts and tutorials, use my profile, or you can contact our staff on-line anytime. You'll find our staff Blog at ActiveRainTeam.com.

Specific Tools are created to get certain jobs done, I hope these tools help you "Get Your Job Done!"

How To Create and Maximize Your Outside Blog

ActiveRain Corp. — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:35:05 -0700

Here's the quickest and easiest 7-step plan to setup and maximize your ActiveRain Outside Blog. These directions should help you to have your Blog set-up in no time at all. Allow 30-60 minutes to complete these steps. ActiveBlogs are currently available to ALL Rainmaker and Grandfathered AR members. Find Out More

Step One:

Creating Your ActiveRain Outside Blog

First, be sure you are logged into ActiveRain. Click "My Home" to get started.

From the tools and links on your "Left Sidebar" click on "Outside Blog"

(Some members may already have a link and upgrade option available, click upgrade)

Click on the "Sign Up Button" from the Custom Blogs landing page.

Enter your information below in the following order:

Enter the name of your Blog
Give a description of Blog
Select a Theme for your Blog
Enter Credit Card Information

After you've completed the steps above, click on the "Create Blog" button

Once you click on the "Create Blog" button, please note:
(To avoid being charged multiple times, please don't use your browser's back or refresh buttons)

Congratulations!

Your new Outside blog is ready to go. You'll receive an e-mail containing further instructions. If you want to get started immediately, you'll be given a temporary name until you choose your own custom domain name. (Domain names are included w/Outside Blogs) Your temporary domain name will look something like this: 37e99f3.activerain.com Click on the link to start customizing and personalizing your new Blog.

You can have Unlimited Outside Blogs on AR, just repeat the above steps for each Blog.

Step Two:

Getting to Know The ActiveBlog Toolbar

Theme - Select from multiple Company or Generic Themes for your Blog

Customize - Allows you to import a Custom Header/Banner and Sidebar Image

Widgets - Add from multiple ActiveRain and Third Party Widgets currently available

Info - Change your Blogs Title and Description

Domain - Create, Check Availability, and Select a Custom Domain Name for your Blog

Links - Add Custom Links To Your Blog Sidebar - Unlimited

Members - Invite other ActiveRain members from your Brokerage or Team to Contribute

NOTE: If you DO NOT see the toolbar above, just click on the link, and the toolbar will appear.
(You must be logged into ActiveRain in order to login and begin customizing your Outside Blogs)

Step Three:

Creating and Claiming Custom Domain Names - Easy as 1-2-3

It's important to establish your own domain name for your Blog once you have created it.

From the Outside Blog Toolbar, click on "Domain"

1. Choose a Domain name in the box: No spaces, No Caps, No Symbols, No Dashes, No HTTP or WWW.
(Example: activerain.com) Don't forget to add .com

2. Check the Domain Name Availability by clicking on the blue "Check Availability" Link:

If the domain name is NOT available, you'll see this:

If the Domain name you select IS available, you'll see this:

3. The final step is to click on the "Claim Your Domain" name button.
Your Blog will now appear at that URL / Web Address immediately.

Very Important! The section below is ONLY if you have already purchased a domain name elsewhere, and feel you must use it. Keep in mind that there CAN NOT be any existing data, websites, or current Blogs attached to or affiliated with the domain name you wish to use.

If you choose this option, be sure to follow the instructions located on the "How Does This Work" link.

Step Four:

Adding Widgets to your ActiveBlog

What's a Widget? Installing widgets is easy. There are many currently available, and plenty more being added.

1. Go to your ActiveRain Outside Blog and Click on the link.

2. Click on the "Widgets" link from the toolbar at the top of the page.

3. Click on the button to open your Blogs Widget Manager.

4. From the "Widget Manager", using the pull-down menu, select any of the available "Widgets" then, Click the "ADD" button and you're ready to install. Follow the instructions for each widget carefully. You can customize and sort or reorder your widgets any way you like. Click "Reorder Widgets" then just drag and drop them wherever you want them placed.

Step Five:

Setting Up Your Listing Router and IDX

As traffic and visitors start to frequent your Outside Blog, you'll want to be sure and setup your Listing Router so that it links all property searches back to your IDX sites. Be sure to set this up immediately after creating your outside Blog. You can either use the "Listing Router Campaigns" or the "My Markets" search when creating the links to your IDX systems.

Step Six:

Adding Content to Your Outside Blog

In most cases, when setting up your first Outside Blog, all your current public content will be moved over to the new Blog. To add or create new content, you can edit existing Blog posts, or create a new ones.

To add posts to Blogs, put a check in the box next to "Outside Blog" then submit your post.

Step Seven:

Inviting Others to Participate and Contribute to Your Blog

Click on the "Members" link on your Outside Blog Toolbar

You can invite other members just by entering their ActiveRain user name (Example: activebrad)

An Invitation will be emailed to that specific member giving them the option to either accept/decline. Once a member accepts your invitation, they will appear on your "Members" link as shown below. You can assign different roles and rights to your Blog contributors. There is also a frequent contributors widget that can be added to your sidebar showing the authors and sorted by the most recent post.

Don't forget to always promote and link back to your New Outside Blog and posts. Add Google Analytics for tracking, the Google Search Widget to search your Blog, and the Feedburner Widget so others can subscribe via email to your Blog. Add hyper-links anytime you can to drive traffic to your Outside Blog.

We're always available to help you with these, so don't hesitate to ask any of us if you need it. Enjoy!!

Click Here to DOWNLOAD or PRINT These Steps

New ActiveRain Widgets for ActiveBlogs

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:56:38 -0800

He won't admit it, but Rich Jacobson is addicted these little things so I have to keep testing them out and requesting them for HIS Blog! This isn't the first time I've written about Widgets and Rich, and it won't be the last. haha! Those who know me well, know all about my Widget World fetish. lol~

Seriously, while most of you were sleeping and the other late night Bloggers were posting...(like me), our AR Tech MASTERS released another update for the Outside ActiveBlogs. I had said earlier that these were coming and when I heard they were here, I just couldn't sleep. Then when I saw this, I just couldn't resist squeezing out a quick post.

Widgets for ActiveBlogs. This feature is limited to our Outside Blog users who have Individual or Group Blogs. Although these widgets will display in all browsers, Internet Explorer 6 is not a supported browser for "managing" your new AR Widgets. We suggest that any IE6 users Upgrade Your Browser.

We've added a topic/category widget and support for some third party widgets. Be sure your posts each have a topic/channel or this widget will pull up blank results. (I would go back and edit posts if need be)

Screen shot of the "Edit Widget" mode on your Outside Blogs. Next, is one of the coolest Features yet...

Members can now reorder their widgets with just a simple drag and drop process. WOW! These guys are good! This is the coolest Widget Feature ever!

No more code, no more embedding, no more errors, and no more wasted time trying to figure out how to install these little gizmo's on your Blogs, just a simple user interface which allows you to add what you need to customize and get the maximum "Widget" power from your new ActiveBlogs. But wait, there's more...

I saved the best for last:

ActiveBlogs & SEO

SEO Upgrades for ActiveBlogs. (Again, limited to Outside Blog users) The high point is our automatically generated Site-map which helps Google (and other search engines) more quickly and accurately index these Blogs. Now with the ability to search Local posts, topics and categories, and add widgets, this altogether will make these Blogs ROCK. I know where you're going next...

Be sure to stop by Rich Jacobson's Blog, I'm sure he'll have every "Widget" available right on his sidebar. That is, if you can get your computer to stop crashing from the lag caused by his widget-happy blog page!

Tutorials | Training | Mobile | Widgets

"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

How To Get Started on ActiveRain

ActiveRain Corp. — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:16:51 -0700

How To Get Started on ActiveRain - A quick route to a successful Journey on ActiveRain.

The ActiveRain Staff, along with our members and ambassadors, wish to welcome you to the ActiveRain community. We know you have a choice, and we're glad you've chosen our network as a place to connect with others, support your local neighborhoods and communities, plus grow your business and relationships.

Before you begin your journey here, there's a few areas we invite you to navigate first. This will save you time and give you a better understanding of the Network. We're confident that our site will bring value, benefits, and substantial rewards to you and your business.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN
These are REQUIRED and a MUST READ for ALL New Members - NO EXCEPTIONS!

What We Stand For - Weltenschauung
Weltanschauung: The guiding principles and philosophy of an organization. A world view.

The ActiveRain Community Guidelines
Please take these rules seriously.

ACTIVERAIN UNIVERSITY
Get live training weekly to make your blog the best it can be

ActiveRain University Schedule - Classes every weekday
Learn the ins and outs of ActiveRain and how to utilize it to the fullest with our live trainer.

ActiveRain Orientation - A Live Webinar to get you acquainted
Steve, our live trainer takes you through the basics on the site to get you familiar with ActiveRain

ActiveRain University Suggestion Box
Don't see a class you would like us to create? Make a suggestion to us for future classes.

GETTING STARTED in 3 EASY STEPS
Follow these next steps to get setup on ActiveRain.

How To Complete Your Profile - Part II
Your profile has three areas that allow you maximize the page. Learn How to use these sections.

How To Use Your "My Settings" Page
Now you are ready to Customize your ActiveRain Settings.

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF ACTIVERAIN
Social Networking, Connecting and Blogging

ActiveRain Member Success Stories
Read what other industry professionals and members have to share.
Here's A VIDEO version

Understanding ActiveRain Points
Learn about points and how they work on the network.

The RainMaker Membership
Becoming a RainMaker - The Value and The Benefit

READY TO MAKE LIGHTNING, THUNDER AND RAIN
Now that you're a member and RainMaker, put the power tools to work

Top 10 Tools for New Members and RainMakers
Take the time to review what this network has to offer.

ActiveRain Custom Outside Blogs
How To Create and Maximize Your Outside ActiveBlog.

OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES TO HELP YOU
Use these links to dive deeper in the "Rain" if you need more information

The ActiveRainGuide
A Tutorial Blog by Members for Members

The ActiveRain Staff Blog
The Official ActiveRain TEAM Blog

Help/FAQ Group
A network group created to help members

An ActiveRain eBook Tutorial
Find Almost Anything about ActiveRain here

ActiveRain University
Online Campus for Training and Support

Real Estate RainCamp
"Live" Local Conferences and Seminars
My Blog, Your AR Resource
Your One stop Shop for all AR Tutorials

DID YOU KNOW?
ActiveRain is the TOP Real Estate Social Network in the World (source: Google)

The ActiveRain Network hosts over 170,000 RE Industry members averaging 200-300 new members daily. There are more than 1.5 million articles posted, with an average of 700-1000 new posts daily. Two million+ visitors traffic the ActiveRain network each month, over 80% are consumers. Only Rainmaker upgraded accounts receive Google trafﬁc to their blogs and posts. ActiveRain Member's Blog posts receive more than 500 views on average. Activerain is the ONLY on-line Network that offers this wide variety of tools, diverse services, and proven solutions to the Real Estate Industry Professional and for consumers on the WEB.

Best of Luck and Enjoy!

ActiveRain West Coast Spring Meetup

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:22:51 -0700

Key look! Up in the sky... It's a "RainCamp!" No... It's a "RainStorm!" No... It's a Spring-Meetup!?! YES!!
I was going to just REBLOG THIS, but it's too exciting not to announce myself! :-)

" Hey Brad, where are you, I've got this really cool idea... "

IT'S TRUE! We are having an ActiveRain Spring Meet-Up in the San Francisco Bay Area for all AR members and their guests who would like to join us. Even if you're not from or live in the SF Bay Area, maybe you're just visiting friends or family, we'd love to have you come join us! What is a Meet-up?

ActiveRain's very own Kerrie Greenhalgh recently announced "The National AR Spring Meet-Up" Day!

The comment that I left on Kerrie's post seemed to spur up some interest and generated some calls from other AR folks who have successfully done these in the past. Kathleen Daniels, and Karen Crowson have joined in and put together what promises to be an awesome Spring Meet-up for anyone and everyone in or around the San Francisco California Bay Area. We already have folks coming from as far south as San Jose and as far north as Sacramento.

Where will it be? Here's the first clue I'll give you...

and no, this is not at my house... lol~

I'm really excited to be a part of this and want to thank these two ladies for making it happen.

Here's the When, Where, What, Date & Time: By Karen Crowson
http://activerain.com/blogsview/3103370/bay-area-meet-up-livermore-ca

Here's a little spin on the details of the event as well: By Kathleen Daniels
http://activerain.com/blogsview/3103370/bay-area-meet-up-livermore-ca

And finally, yes... the rumor is true, I'll be bringing some surprise guest(s) and a few entertaining ideas and surprise elements specially created and designed just for this event. The majority of the rumors you'll probably start hearing will most likely all be true... and that's all I can say right now, but I do hope that you'll come out and join us!!

Tutorials | Training | Mobile | Widgets

"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

Free Online Photo Editing - Picnik's Twin Brother

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:57:50 -0800

In a frantic scramble last week to find a replacement for the Picnik.com closure on April 19th, I had written a post featuring 7 different FREE photo and graphic editing sites.

However, some many of my online friends were hoping to actually find a replacement editor that was similar or at least closer to the same look and feel of Picnik’s site. Is there such a site?

Well here it is! iPiccy.com is the closest you’re going to find to Picnik.com. The look and feel are more similar than any other site I’ve seen. iPiccy might actually be Picnik’s twin brother. Once you explore the site, you’ll see what I mean. iPiccy is 100% free, no registration required, and offers many of the same features and benefits that Picnik does and more.

Grabbing any image or photo is easy. Just click the appropriate button and GO! The editing options are endless and the ability to create some really cool customized graphics and images will be limited only by your creativity and of course your time and schedule. The workspace on iPiccy will be easy to navigate, especially for Picnik users, and will feel just like your old Picnik stomping grounds.

There are multiple effects with single click options at your fingertips. These will make your photos and images really “POP” and if you use a combination of the wide variety of tools and options available, the possibilities will be endless.

In literally minutes, you’ll be able to adjust your contrast, auto-correct colors, customize images, fix blemishes, remove red-eye, lighten and darken graphics, and even add text overlays, reflections, shadows and more. Having the ability to utilize some really cool effects without being a graphics designer makes iPiccy one of my TOP CHOICE recommendations and a great replacement for Picnik.

Here’s a sample we just put together for a Valentine show promotion:
We added a border,
created a matting,
went with a sepia effect,
added a thick pencil sketching,
made it black and white,
re-sized it keeping constraints,
added a drop shadow border,
dropped some text at the bottom and saved to the desktop.
We then emailed it as a .jpg attachment to the event promoter.
This all took about 3 minutes from beginning to end.

Check out iPiccy.com and compare it to Picnik. If you’ve never used Picnik.com, then you’ll have discovered a very cool free online photo and image editing site that you’re going to enjoy. If you have used Picnik, and feel as though you’ll be losing a best friend come April, I can promise that iPiccy will make the hurt a whole lot less. In fact, I think some of you will like iPiccy better than Picnik. Happy creating, enjoy~

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Fun Photo Capturing with Tag Galaxy's Globe

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:44:35 -0700

Tag Galaxy is a site that lets you enter any "Tag" or "Keywords" or phrases then brings back all the related photos found that may match your search results. At first, I didn't think much of it until I started selectively picking specific keywords and tags that brought back some really interesting and fun results.

The final search image results will always be unique but have no custom URL or embed code, so it seemed a little senseless to even post about this other than it is a pretty cool site. However, one idea and way to use this would be to capture photos of friends, family, neighborhoods, communities, or even cities and then share them using a screen capture tool and creating a link to your desired landing page.

Here's the results I got back when using the tag: ActiveRain

If you're like me, the next question you might be asking yourself is, "Am I in that collage somewhere?" Haha~ Click on it, type in ActiveRain as your tag search then wander around the globe and take a peek for yourself? You'll at least have fun looking and there might even be a few surprises.

You can zoom in, zoom out, roll and turn the globe, open the photos and read the descriptions and more. I put together this quick little video sample showing what it would look like if you search your city using tag or keywords. I used San Francisco in this sample. Check it out, you may find other creative ways to use the tag galaxy for your photo capturing experience. Enjoy!

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Mobile IS Global - A Cool New Mortgage App for iPhone

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 09:47:04 -0700

It's been a while since I've posted about Real Estate technology for the mortgage side of the business, so this one is for all you lenders, mortgage brokers, and bankers out there. Actually, it will also be very useful if you are a borrower, an agent, or even a renter looking to buy and own a home of your own one day.

There's a new app in town and it's already making quite an impression in the lending community, with consumers, and at the Apple iTunes store. We launched a new Zillow Mortgage Marketplace app for the iPhone last week and it ROCKS! I've had the chance to run a few of the mobile features, and already I can see why it's being called one of the best FREE mortgage, finance, and calculator apps.

"The Zillow Mortgage Marketplace App combines personalized loans, live rates and advanced calculators and tools to give home buyers an instant financial reality check while out touring homes."

What's so cool about a mortgage calculator app?

The new app offers some really easy to use features and calculators. The payment calculator is pretty common on most of these types of apps but the user-interface is what makes it easy and unique.

The affordability calculator is a unique one-of-a-kind tool that I was drawn to instantly for obvious reasons, and I think this will be a popular and commonly used tool in this app.

The refinance calculator and current rates features are perfect for someone on the go like me who is always looking for data and information that can help me lower my payments, get a more suitable loan, possibly refinance, and do it all from the local coffee shop while checking my email and between text messaging my clients and kids.

Some features and benefits for lenders:

Allows you to get in front of a whole new set of users you wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

Lenders are now able to connect with highly qualified borrowers who are likely ready to transact, since they’ve already compared quotes, profiles, and lender ratings and have decided to proactively reach out to a selected lender.

Some features and benefits for agents:

Great tool for agents because it makes them more efficient in two specific ways: 1- It allows agents to show homes their clients can actually afford; 2 - It helps move their clients through the purchase process and secure financing.

Allows agents and professionals to track mortgage rates in real time. Knowing what's happening with mortgage rates is an important way to enhance their credibility as real estate advisers and to make informed recommendations to their clients when rates drop and when it might be a better time to buy.

Streamlines the process of getting your customers pre-approved and have their offers taken seriously by borrowers as contacting a lender is just a click away.

Since we know that "Mobile is Global" and those "on the go" always need tools and info at their fingertips, the new Mortgage Marketplace App will be perfect for anyone and everyone who needs instant access to information, data, and calculators that will be beneficial to their financial freedom and peace of mind.

Keeping up with all the technology, tools, and apps out there is a full time job for guys like me. You can be rest assured that I'll be sharing whatever I find, like, use, and think will benefit you or your clients!

Related Articles:
Zillow Unveils Mortgage Marketplace App - DSNews
Tech tools that make home buying easier - Mercury News
Zillow® Launches Zillow Mortgage Marketplace iPhone® App - Financial News
Review: Zillow releases mortgage app for iPhone - San Diego News
Zillow rolls out mobile mortgage app - The Seattle Times

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Improve Video and Images for Higher Ranking in Search Engines

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:28:41 -0700

How To Improve your Video and Images for Higher Ranking in the Search Engines.

Acquiring SEO and traffic to your Blog or Website using great content, titles, descriptions, and keywords etc. has always been a subtle yet powerful strategy in the Blogging community. Many new businesses and individuals don't start off blogging or creating websites with the understanding of how SEO (Search Engine Optimization) works, or why it might be important to their success. In time... they learn. We all do.

In my travels around the country teaching SEO, Blogging, and Social Networking, the one thing that is least talked about or questioned is the power of video and images. You hear "Content is King" but you won't hear or learn that video and images are the most viewed and sought after items on the Internet. Could this be one of the reasons Google has links to them at the top of every search results page?

How do you get YOUR Video and Images to show at the Top of the Search Engine Results?

Matt Cutts from Google explains a few ways you can accomplish this. He shares some great ideas and tips on using and adding meta-data and user generated content. The idea of using captioning in Video is brilliant! You provide the transcripts and youtube will auto-align the text.

Creating captioning is easier than you may think, Matt and others do this on every video and I can show you how.

Matt also shares some great ideas on how to use flickr, he gives some great examples and says “it’s almost like crowd sourcing!” Flickr has great SEO but you need to understand how to use tags, descriptions and some of the tips in this video will assist you in knowing how and why.

If you create and use your own pictures, images, or video, and you want to get views, traffic, and ultimately generate leads and business, it's important to know a few key things including the SEO tips Matt shares in this video. It's also important to know that SEO isn't the only key ingredient that gets your material found on the web. Apply the concept that "Content Is King" to images and video, along with these tips and you've won 90% of the battle.

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How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:46:09 -0700

How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines.

There are three important audiences to be writing for: 1. Other members and friends of your Social Networks. 2. Consumers, Subscribers, and a Target Audience of readers. 3. Search Engines. I'm sure this is preaching to the choir, but this is important information to be shared if you want to get maximum exposure and results from your Blog posts with consumers, visitors, and with Google. Google Juice? I'll drink to that! :-)

Blogging for Customers and Search Engines correctly is a key component to a successful Blog.

Using these effective strategies and time tested methods when creating your post can make a huge difference. The first thing when writing a post is to determine the audience you are writing for, the product or concept you're promoting, and the geographic market you are targeting. In this scenario, we are creating a Blog post to drive readers, consumers, and search engines to your Blog which is All About Your Area. Things like "Vacant Land", "Open Houses", "Loan Modifications", "Tax Credit", "Pest Control", "Relocation", "Market Statistics", "Short Sales", "Condos" etc.

1. How to title a blog post: Use a title that a customer would type into Google. example: "Open Houses in Mesquite Nevada" Targeting Neighborhoods and focusing on Communities are best, but you can also use City/State. Most searches by consumers always include a geographic area. example: "Vacant Land For Sale in Bend, Oregon" Don't just title your post "Vacant Land For Sale" as it probably won't get indexed to a specific location and will likely get lost in the Search Engine Abyss. (SEO abyss = page 24 of Google)

2. Repeat the title in BOLD in the first sentence of your blog post. example: "Vacant Land For Sale in Bend, Oregon" and now priced better than ever! Build your dream home in Bend, Oregon!" By creating the first sentence of your post to include the title and BOLD key search words, terms, or phrases, you'll increase the potential of being found and then read. That first sentence is typically the first sentence that shows up under your TITLE within the Google search results. It's an important part of getting the search engines to recognize your topic and see it's relative content. It's also what will help a consumer decide if they want to click on your link or NOT!

3. Write your blog posts to the title...then add in good content that a customer would want to know about. It takes a bit more time to think this strategy through, but the results and rewards will be tremendous. This in NOT the only way to gain SEO and more exposure, but it's a great place to start if you're new to Blogging and are wanting quicker results from your time and efforts here.

Creating posts and Understanding Long tail and Short tail search terms: Short tail searches are just that, very short keyword searches. example: "Homes for sale" or "Homes For Sale Austin, Texas". This is where most searches begin during the early stages of research by consumers. The Long tail search comes into play the closer consumers get to making a final purchase decision. example: "Gated Community Homes For Sale With a Pool in Austin Texas" Justin Smith explains more about Long tail/ Short tail searches in his post. You can also find more details by searching Google for "Long tail and Short tail searches." Here's a video that might help make heads or "tails" about this.

4. Go through your blog post and make sure that the words of your title are repeated a minimum of at least three or four times. At least one time every other paragraph or so. You should also bold those keywords so they stand out to the reader and to the search engines. You need to be somewhat creative in doing this and remember, don't over do it.

5. Tag your blog posts with other keywords and phrases the customer may type into Google. These should be topic related and relevant to your post. Do not try to game the search engines by packing in keywords that have nothing to do with the post, this will do more harm than good in most if not all cases. Also make sure to include images and links to relative sites, this will create more stickiness and add value to your posts.

Creating a Blog Post for Customers and Search engines is not that difficult once you understand some of these basic concepts and then practice and apply them on a regular basis. This is not to say you shouldn't write about other topics both personal and business, even those can be tailored to get you better results with customers and search engines. We tested this theory on the Fourth of July Weekend and you should see some of the results ActiveRain members experienced. It really does work.

I hope you can use these tips on "How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines."
VERY IMPORTANT: If your post on ActiveRain is (MEMBERS ONLY) then none of the above applies.

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How To Promote Listings on ActiveRain

Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:08:58 -0700

Are you posting your clients listings on your ActiveRain Blog?

How are you keeping it updated and current? What happens to that post when the home is sold? Does your post still show up in the SERPS? (Search Engine Results Page) If so, how useful is that to a consumer or potential prospect and client?

Did you know that 3349 other members on AR have posted 41,473 listings or properties?

Here's Something to ponder...

When I first joined ActiveRain and created a Listings Group, it was to help members promote their listings within the AR Community. At the time, without knowing the future power of ActiveRain's SEO and Google juice, my intentions and focus looking back were very narrow-minded. I had created a post about "How To Post Your Listings" since I could only share what I knew and understood at the time.

Today, I have a different opinion about how to "BLOG" about listings on ActiveRain.

To give a blog post some shelf life, and keep it alive for years to come, agents should blog about the neighborhood and community instead, and then just include the listing as part of their topic and post. This way when the home sells or gets taken off the market, the hyper-local information is still useful to consumers when found during a search, and doesn't render your post useless just because that home is no longer available.

This technique is working great for many hyper-local bloggers here on the ActiveRain and out on the Web in general. Providing blog posts with a longer shelf life has been proven to bring much greater value to both the reader and the author. Consider the possibilities of creating neighborhood and community posts over just listing posts. Just a suggestion.

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